grayjdon



(No Modem @sheets-sheet 1.

J. W. GRAYDON.

SUBMARINE TURPEDO. No. 502,294.4

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. W. GRANLDON. SUBMARINB TORPBDO.

-Patented Aug. l, 1893.

tartan @frames Parent @rarest JAIWIES W. GRAYDON, OF XVASIIING'ION,DISTRICT' OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'FO THE GRAYDONDYNAMITE PROJECTILE CARTRIDGE tND llIGlI ICXILOSIVE COMPANY, F SAMEPLACE.

susiviaanvs Toscano.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lett-ers 'Patent No. 502,294, dated August1, 1893.

Application tiled May 7, 1887. Renewed December 19, 1891. Serial No.415,570. (No model.)

To all whom, it may 'concer-n.-

Be itknown that I, JAMES W. GRAYDON, of Tashingtom in theDistriet ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSubmarineTorpcdoes; andI do hercby declare that the vfollowing is afull, clear, and exact dcscriptionthereof, reference bc- :ing had to theaccompanying drawings, in

whichro Figure l shows aplan view of a river as provided with my torpedosystem, and Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view on line :ce: of Fig. l.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each ot thefigures.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved torpedo system forthe defense of rivers and narrow harbors, and to this end it consists inthe system and parts thereof as hereinafter described and morespecifically pointed ont in the claims.

In the drawings A is a river or harbor having the banks 13 l5.

li in the drawings designates the lower portion of the river or harbortoward its mouth.

The torpedo system isshown in the drawings as adapted to keep vesselsfrom coming from the direction of the point l5. On each bank is anengine C which can be of any form desired and which is to be providedwith any preferred form of drum or winding mechanism adapted to causethe cabloD to move in either direction.

From the Winding drum the cable which is preferably of wirewcllprotectcd with a water proof coating, passes outward in eitherdirection over the pulleys E E. From these pulleys the cable extends upand down the bank below the surface thereof, over pulleys F and G up anddown the river respectively, andv then out under the water aroundpulleys II, I, held in place by anchors or moorings II', I. The cablethen extends directly down the river from pulleyIl to I. IVith thisconstruction and arrangement, by causing the winding drum to turn in onedirection or the other, the cable between pulleys ll and I maybe made tomove up or down thc river.

The engines C C are preferably te be below the surface of the ground outof the way of 5o the enemys shots, or protected by torts.

To the cables D D are attached the ends ont cross or sweeping cables K Kof which there can be any desired number. To each of these cross cablesare attached or eonnectedf means ofthe lines L'L, and slings M M, the 55torpedoes N N. Each sling M is attached to a torpedo'near one endthereof so thatthe torpedo will always float end on to the current andso willo'ffer the least resistence thereto:

To get the cables K K across the river or 6o harbor from one side to theother, so that they` can be attached to cables D D, I provide at O anengine with a winding drum similar to those already described, whichserves to cause the endless cable I which stretches across the river orharbor to travel in the desired direction over the pulleys p, p, p, p.With this construction an end of one of the cables K K with itstorpedoes is attached to the cable I and, as indicated in Fig. I, iscarried across 7o the river where it can bc attached to the cable D onthat side. Its other end is then at-v tached to the cable D on the sidofrom which cable K was carried out. 'lhns a ready means is afforded forgetting the sweep lines or cables across the river, so that any numberof them can be'attached to cables D D and carried down the river orharbor by the move-f4 ment of the latter. The engine O can like theother engines be protccted,bnt such pro; 8o tection is hardly necessary.i

The engines C C instead of being placed opposite the middle point ofthe' system, can obviously be placed higher up at any convenient or safepoint. v

With my system as arranged and constructed, a series consisting of anynumber ot' torpedoe's carrying sweep cables can be moved down the riverto sweep the whole distance from pulleys Il ll to pulleys I I. Thetorpeeo does can be attached to the sweep lines so -closely togetherthat it would be impossible for any ve'ssel coming up the river toescape. The torpedoes are attached to one line so as to stand in linewith the spaces between the Fig. l, and some of the torpedoes thereonwould strike the boat from which the grappling was done, and blow it up.

If desired the sweeping lines can be easily arranged to be detached atwill at one end or the other from one of the cables, so that the linewith its torpedoes will, as described above, swing around and sweepacross the river or harbor.

The torpedoes are preferably to be of the percussion kind so as toexplode upon contact with any object, but they can, if desired, bearranged to be red by electricity at the right time, as the positions ofthe sweep lines and the torpedoes attached to them can be determined andknown from the shore and by the cables the lines can be moved up or downinto the desired position.

Having thus fully set forth the nature of my invention, what I claimisl. In a torpedo system for rivers and harbors in combination with thetwo submerged cables extending along the shore one on each side of theharbor or river, a line fastened to such cables .extending across fromone to the other and having att-ached to it a series of torpedoes andmeans for moving the cables to carry the sweep line along, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

2. ln a torpedo system for the defense of rivers and harbors, incombination with the two parallel submerged cables one on each side ofthe harbor or river, a sweep line extending from one cable to the other,a series of torpedoes attached to the line by suitable lead or iioatlines, and means for moving the cables to carry the sweep line up ordown the river or ha`l `oor as desired, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

3. In a torpedo system for river and harbor defense, the two submergedcables each exending up and down the river or harbor on each side of thechannel, the series ot' sweep lines extending from cable to cable andeach having attached toit by suitable lead or i'loat lines a series oftorpedoes, and means for causing the cables to travel up or down theriver or harbor as desired, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

4. 1u a torpedo system for river and harbor defense a submerged cableextending along each side of the river or harbor passing oversuitablesubmerged pulleysor blocks, and from these to suitably protectedmeans for causing it to move up or down the harbor or river as desired,and one or more sweep lines attached at each end to one of the cablesand carrying series of torpedoes, all combined substantially as and forthe purpose described.

5. In a torpedo system for the protection of rivers and harbors, incombination with the submerged cables extending along the sides of theriver or harbor provided with means for moving them as desired, andadapted to carry sweep lines with torpedoes attached up or down theriver or harbor as desired, the means for getting the torpedo sweeplines across the harbor or river so that they can be attached to bothcables, which consists in the endless cable passing across the river orharbor and adapted to carry across the end of the sweep line attached toit, and means for moving the cable, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this3d day of May, 1887.

JAMES W. GRTDO.

Witnesses:

GEO. S. IRINDLE, PHILIP G. RUSSELL.

